Frankfurt Main Airport Passenger Reviews & Customer Opinions

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FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 16 October 2008 : by E Butler

Customer Rating : 2/5

Terminal 2 is a terrible place. I have flown in and out of Frankfurt multiple times over the past few years, and have twice had to spend the night. It is loud, dark, dirty and crowded. Constant chaos and there is never a place to sit down, meaning every nook and cranny is home to people sitting on the ground. Why is there no air conditioning? It is hot and muggy, no matter the time of year. Although it says it is non-smoking, people are allowed to smoke in "designated smoking areas," meaning the smoke goes everywhere. Food choice is not very good, everything is overpriced, especially anything close to the gates (3 euros for a bottle of water). The baggage always takes a long time to get to the baggage cart, and there are no washrooms in the baggage area. And many flights in Frankfurt require a shuttle bus to and from the plane, meaning more waiting! I have found the nicest place to wait for international flights is at the foodcourt McDonalds. Unlike the rest of the airport, McDonalds is newly renovated, meaning there are laptop plugins, chairs and big windows. The restaurant is also in a somewhat isolated corner of the second floor, meaning it doesnt get constant flight announcements over the PA and no "through pedestrian traffic". A good place to sit and read a book while waiting. I have only once used Terminal 1, and it seemed to be much nicer.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 16 October 2008 : by U Hoffmann

Customer Rating : 1/5

Arrived on October 11th from HKG with LH739. Immigration clearance was a real mess as the main clearance was already closed (at 19:10!) and the complete passengers of a fully booked 747 had to search (no signs guiding the way) for something that was supposed to be the spare immigration office. Only two officers for 400 people and I was happy to be the first in line. Again no signs from immigration to baggage claim. I must say I expect a better performance from Germany's largest airport and despite the fact that everything went good for me I'm deeply disappointed.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 10 October 2008 : by M Shilkrut

Customer Rating : 2/5

Arrived to terminal 2 where most of the Skyteam members are allocated. I think it is an older part of the airport. If you are arriving by the narrow body aircraft you will be transported by bus to the terminal which is dark, cold and apale, and there is nothing to do there. In order to get to the train station or to the hotels you need to transfer to the terminal 1 by the Skyline train. The train is automatically operated, it is very small and there is always a huge unorganized line on the station. When departing from the terminal 2 - don't bother to come early as most of the counters will open 1-1.5 h before the flight, and don't rush to the security, as there is completely nothing there except a very expensive small duty free shop with limited offers. Before the security there are 2-3 eating places and one small shop, the most popular and most clean being McDonalds. Eat there as there will be nothing to eat after the security. One good thing as that it is not crowded as the terminal 1.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 10 October 2008 : by J Kenney

Customer Rating : 0/5

Easy to navigate, quick to find your way. Never missed any connections, and looking forward to my return. The security staff don't talk much, but I have found several friends among the Lufthansa staff who just make it a breeze to connect there.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 1 October 2008 : by Ian Versy

Customer Rating : 3/5

Blatantly bleak and austere. The airport lacks a theme and structure. For example, in Terminal one, after clearing security check, there are still shops and cafes where you can buy food and drinks. However, in Terminal 2, after I cleared the security checks, there is nothing but the departure gates. Not even a vending machine to buy drinks. You can get out, but that means you have to go through security check again back to the gate. There is no clear standard theme as to the procedure to follow. Like in most airports, you know that you either clear immigration then re-check in again (for transfer). However, at the Frankfurt airport, you need to find which gate to go to, and depending on the gate, you may or may not have to clear immigration. This is probably fine for people who know before hand that they will have to go through immigration and allocate proper time (it took me about an hour to clear the immigration due to super long queue, and slow immigration process - 2 counters only). However, for those who are not familiar with Schengen process, they might just think that they only have to go to the gate and board the plane, thus not allocating proper time to clear immigration. Signage is bad, they use circa 70s technology for signage (manually putting the signage up and down - at least in Terminal 1). Staffs were ok, not rude, just plain indifferent. There was a construction going on on Terminal 2 while I was there, so yeah, it just aggravated the already depressing and unkempt atmosphere to the airport. I did not see evidence of the famous German efficiency. I am not saying that it is bad, it is just not as good as other airport I have been to. Sydney airport is way better. Singapore Changi is totally and definitely and unquestionably better.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 21 August 2008 : by O Sevilhaug

Customer Rating : 2/5

I travel through Frankfurt rather frequently, and beginning to get the hang of it. As long as you know that signage is bad, you learn to get around it. If you are travelling out of Frankfurt on a flight with codeshare, don't expect your code to show on the boards. You have to look for departure time and destination. When those two add up, you can be pretty certain that is your flight, though your flight code never shows. Best to ask someone behind a counter. They are usually very helpful. Often on arrival there is no board in sight when you step inside the airport. You have to walk quite a bit to find one. If you are lucky, you find that you have walked in the right direction. If not, you may have an unnecessary long walk to find your gate. And why do we always have to check in again at Frankfurt, when we have got our boarding cards already at the previous airport?

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 11 August 2008 : by D Balinowski

Customer Rating : 2/5

Used this airport on three occasions in June and July. The purser on our flight advised us that it's "only a short walk" to the First Class Terminal. That may be the case if you fly in a straight line, but not if you have to navigate the maze that is FRA. Ground personnel extremely rude. When asking for directions I was ignored and on one occasion almost run over by an electric cart. The experience improved immensely once we reached the First Class check-in counter and asked for assistance in getting to the First Class Terminal. Three weeks later, we used Frankfurt again. Poor signage and indifferent personnel were the order of the day yet again. Taxi ranks chaotic. We found drivers helping German speakers before us, claiming that our bags wouldn't fit in their cars. Funny thing is, the driver (not native to the country) that took us from our hotel to the airport the following day literally ran for our bags and had no problem fitting them into the same-sized vehicle as the ones driven by the cabbies who refused to take us the previous day. This is a terrible airport if you don't have lounge access. Flying First Class takes away the pain, which is why FRA gets two stars.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 30 July 2008 : by Abdullah Jefri

Customer Rating : 2/5

I had two 5 hour connections through FRA recently, one while traveling economy and one traveling business, thus had access to the lounges. FRA may be a convenient connection for short connections, but for longer ones FRA makes for a very horrible experience if you do not have access to a lounge. The biggest problem is that there are not enough seats at all! The airport is always busy, but the number of seats is so limited it's not enough to seat the passengers of one intercontinental flight! Please do not underestimate the significance of this problem because not finding a seat for a few hours between flights can be extremely frustrating. Plus, there are no power plugs anywhere to be found except for one, and most of the time it's occupied by someone else. Oh, and there are no seats next to it either! If you have access to a lounge, however, then the experience can be much better, but still not great. There are very few shops and restaurants, and the wireless internet is pretty expensive. To sum up, if traveling economy then avoid FRA at any cost. If you have access to a lounge, then try to avoid but it's not really that bad.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 29 July 2008 : by Paul Browne

Customer Rating : 4/5

I guess it takes time to get used to FRA! This past month I have connected through the airport twice and both times breezed through. It seems to be busy all of the time but I did not encounter any lineups at security checkpoints, the officers were pleasant, and really the only complaint is that the boarding process at the gate was a total zoo - but these days, this seems to be the norm wherever you fly from. Signage is excellent right from the jetway when u disembark and there are lots shops and food places to keep u occupied if necessary.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 22 July 2008 : by Pierre Sprumont

Customer Rating : 2/5

I was recently re-routed over Frankfurt because of a last minute cancelled flight from GVA to LCY. Upon arrival in FRA, transfer by packed bus to terminal B. Clear indications about connecting flight found to be from gate B50. Extremely rude security people who were barking more than anything else and guarding the entrance of an overcrowded and poorly lit underground hall: not enough seats and no toilets. Because of flight delay (about 60 minutes), I had to wait 90 minutes in this cellar. This experience comes after a preceding one when, landing too early on a LH flight from St Petersburg, we had to wait 35 minutes at the gate for lack of personnel manning the bridge, whereas the cleaners already boarded the plane and let it know that all those passengers were unwanted. Apart from that, Frankfurt can also work smoothly and be well organised: my two other recent transits there were uneventful.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 16 July 2008 : by Peter Cullen

Customer Rating : 2/5

I have been to and from Frankfurt twice in the past few weeks, it has good points, mainly the transport links to the city and elsewhere - the railway station at the airport is excellent for getting to other towns and cities without going through Frankfurt itself. The bad points, as others have noted, are very bad. Security is just awful, understaffed and why are there two points? Having passed through one, I bought a bottle of water to be told at the second it would be confiscated, despite it having been bought in the airport and still being sealed. Fortunately I had time to turn back and drink it (albeit rather hurriedly) but this seems little more than legal robbery. The whole place is chaotic and badly signed as noted elsewhere.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 6 July 2008 : by A Rosner

Customer Rating : 4/5

Travelled more than 50 times over FRA and never had any problems with connecting flights or the security checks. Had more than three connections under an hour and managed to get to all three of them on time. I think that the staff could be a bit more pleasant though.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 3 July 2008 : by D Leston

Customer Rating : 1/5

FRA is a massive terminal complex (in all senses of the word). LHR seems to get a lot of stick, but FRA is no better. Considerably worse than Heathrow are: the rude staff, slow security processing & horrible cellar-like departure lounges for flights at remote stands. This is another airport that has gone downhill as it has grown. It was much better in the 80s!

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 17 June 2008 : by James Kenney

Customer Rating : 4/5

Never had any problems at FRA. Very easy to navigate, immigration a breeze, security quick and efficient. The largest problem I have had at FRA is there isn't much to do in the Non-Schengen area of Concourse A.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 3 June 2008 : by Kurt Mueller

Customer Rating : 3/5

Surprised by somewhat dodgy infrastructure for what is supposed to be such an important airport. After dropping off my rental car I was unable to find a baggage trolley until I reached the bottom of the escalator leading to Terminal 1. On the way, I must have passed at least a dozen empty trolley bays waiting to be replenished. Passport control swift, but security check took way too long - despite being in the priority lane. Our line was slowed down by a lady with a small child who had to take apart a buggy to get it to fit through the x-ray machine; it would have, of course, helped immensely if the security staff had come to her assistance instead of expressing amusement over her struggle lasting over 3 minutes. Air conditioning in the entire airport completely inadequate.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 31 May 2008 : by A Vandervell

Customer Rating : 1/5

Frankfurt is just awful. Terrible and inconsistent signage makes navigating its endless corridors very difficult, while staff are distinctly unhelpful. Indeed, it's the staff and security provisions here that are the worst thing. On a recent return flight to the UK we arrived at security to long queues. There were only three security conveyors open (one for Business class) despite there being at least four five three free and seemingly a surplus of staff, most of whom were milling about doing nothing useful. However, when we reached a conveyor we had plenty of time, or at least we thought we did. Yet, it was only now we realised why the queues were so long, since the security staff dawdled about as if they had all the time in the world. There we were, just inches from the belt, but we stood there for another ten minutes while they faffed about. Eventually we were able to deposit our belongings and go through. Things only got worse from here. My bag came in for some scrutiny under the X-ray, with the attendant zooming in and out looking at some item. She then got up and ambled to the entrance of the scanner, peered down and then went back. She then called over two colleagues came over and peered at the scans. Another five minutes had passed by this point, just looking at just 1 bag - by this point there were five of us waiting at the other end. Eventually they decided to ask me to open the bag - why they couldn't have done this five minutes before is beyond me! The offending article, a USB memory key of all things! Another of our party had to go to a room to have his laptop scanned. We then ran to passport control, got through there, only to find another identical security check at the gate. By this time we were running late, only to be told AFTER we'd gone through the second check point that the last bus to our flight had gone. We'd missed our flight and it cost me 245 Euros to get onto the next flight, all because the security staff were too lazy and disinterested to do their jobs efficiently. Brilliantly, the second security point had the same number of staff on it, despite the fact there was practically no one there and the main checkpoint was severely backed up. All in all, an absolute farce and I can only recommend avoiding FRA at all costs. It's just dire.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT customer review : 24 May 2008 : by G Adams

Customer Rating : 1/5

Avoid at all costs especially if you're coming from the UK and have been booked on a tight connection to another Lufthansa flight. It seems that they have a policy of parking UK flights as far away as possible from the terminal and bussing passengers to terminal B. Last weekend I was flying from LHR to TXL via FRA and had only 1 hour for a connection. The plane was 1 hour late leaving LHR due to congestion at FRA. When I arrived there they parked the plane somewhere near Wiesbaden and we were subjected to a 20 minute wait for busses and a 20 minute bus ride to the terminal. Once at the terminal normally I should have faced an interminable walk to the A gates. I went to one transfer desk but there were literally hundreds of people waiting around it so I proceeded into the Schengen zone. On the way I was manhandled by overzealous security staff who confused brutality with thoroughness. Once through I was told there was no way I could get to Berlin that day except by train by LH ground staff who really couldn't care less and couldn't even be bothered to apologize. I will avoid this place for sure in future. If you have to fly LH go through MUC or even better through ZRH, both show how it really should be done. While many complain about LHR, FRA is truly the very worst. Avoid at all costs.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT review : 21 May 2008 : by Jim Joslin

Customer Rating : 4/5

We flew back to the US from Terminal 1 at 11 am and had no problem finding our check-in (United), or the gate. Gates well marked, security was fast and efficient; we did not have to remove our shoes. There was no second security line. Smoking allowed only outside the terminal. Toilets were readily available. Coming in, the night before, we had no trouble finding our baggage. Signage for hotel shuttle could have been better. The marked stop is at the end furthest from the baggage claim area, but the shuttle did stop further down as well. We were pleasantly pleased with our experience, better than what we've had at our Dulles home airport. We would consider flying through FRA in the future.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT review : 16 May 2008 : by Alain Kupferman

Customer Rating : 3/5

Lufthansa is very concerned about the physical condition of its passengers, as the business class check-in is at one end of the airport, in Terminal A and the new business class lounge for long-haul flights at the other end in Terminal C. The atmosphere in the new Senator lounge can be compared to that of a morgue, with a limited choice in food, drinks and newspapers and of course with a paying Internet access. The signage in Frankfurt is difficult to interpret and foreign passengers confused. Immigration is chaotic, with no respect for the signs EU Nationals and others.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT review : 7 May 2008 : by R Muratovic

Customer Rating : 4/5

I had a connecting flight through Frankfurt. I flew in from JFK into terminal 1, and my connecting flight to Montenegro was in terminal 2. If you follow the directions, it is very easy to get to the next terminal. On my return flights through Frankfurt, there was an airline representative that helped passengers transfer to the next terminal to check in for my Lufthansa flight. Passengers that did not have a seat number had to re-check in at the gate. The lines were forever, then I had to get on another line for boarding. Very unorganzied way of checking in people, and boarding of passenger. Shops were fine, although not enough seats at the gate area.

FRANKFURT MAIN AIRPORT review : 5 May 2008 : by Steven Curfs

Customer Rating : 3/5

FRA airport has deteriorated in the last years. I have travelled more than 10 times through FRA this year and the business lounges as well as the waiting areas are a joke. As an example I had to board a LH flight to YYZ, an A340-300 so well over 300 pax - the waiting area in which you are forced to wait before boarding has about 100 seats. Imagine the carnage. Another problem is signposting at FRA - very poor and confusing at best - the arrows they use seem to suggest that you have to pass immigration and then turn right or left, but it actually means to avoid immigration and turn right or left directly. Very annoying. One positive point however, I have experienced very few delays in the last year at FRA.